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J. SPEIRS. COMBINED DIVING APPARATUS AND LIFE SAVING RAFT. No. 449,354.

Patented Mar. 31,1891.

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Patented Mar. 31, 1891.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SPEIR3, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR' OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE FRANKLIN RICHARDSON, NElV YORK, N. Y.

COMBINED DIVING APPARATUSAND LIFE- -SAVING RAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 449,354, dated March 31, 1891.

Application filed May 23, 1890.

To all who/n. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN SPEIRS, aeitizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, in the countyof Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Diving and Life-Saving'Apparai us, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combined diving apparatus and lifesaving raft, the object being to make a device whereby the bottom of floating vessels may be approached for repairs or cleaning, without danger to life or exhaustion from pressure of condensed atmosphere, and whiehin case of emergency by the simple addition of a cap may be made into a life-raft, and when not in use may be folded together, so that it will occupy but little space.

To enable others to make and use my improved apparatus, I will give a description of the same in detail, reference being-had to the drawings hereto annexed.

Figure 1 is a view of the device partly in section and of a portion of avessel, and shows the position of the device making repairs on the rudder. Fig. 2 shows the apparatus partially folded together. Fig. 3 shows the device suspended from d'avits on the side of the vessel. Fig. at shows the cap which is used when the device is prepared for a life raft. Fig. is a perspective view showin two of the ap paratus fastened together to make alife-raft.

The body A of the apparatus is made of canvas or other flexible material impervious to water, and in the form of a hollow cylinder. The end which is used for the bottom is closed air-tight by a conical cap B,made preferably of metal. At the apex of the cone B a ring a is fixed, into which ropes are fastened, by which the bottom of the device is drawn toward the vessel by passing said ropes underneath the keel and up the opposite side, as shown in Fig. The ring a is also used to secure the two apparatustogether forthe liferaft, as shown in Fig. 5.

At the sides of the cone or capll are rings Z), into which ropes c are fastened.

The upper end of the canvas cylinder is clamped between two bands cl and c. The inner band e,whieh is threaded to receive the cap 3, Fig. .4, also has rings into which the rope lad- Scrial No. 352,963. (No model.)

der 0 is fastened. The outerbandd has rings in it into which the ropes c are fastened. The ropescare the supports by which it is suspended fromthe davits and form the life-lines when the device is used for alife-raft. Rings may be fastened to the ropes c, which serve as fenders to keep the device from chafing against the vessel.

At the proper distance from the bottom in the side of the canvas a window F is fixed, and a short distance below the window, on each side, is a sleeve 1), made in onepieee with gloves and secured water-tight to the body A, into which the operator slips his arms and hands, as shown in Fig. 1. 6

Ballast put in the bottom of the device to sink it to the required depth.

On the inside of the canvas are several rigid hoops E, fastened to it, which keep the cylinder from being crushed in by the pressure of the water.

1;". are hoops on the outer side of the cylinder to support it against outward strain.

The cap 13, Fig. 4, is similar to the cap ]3, Fig. 1, and has a shoulder and a threaded part 7 5 f, which screws into the threaded band 0, Fig.1.

A gasket 9 is used between the shoulder of the cap and the edges of the bands (1 and e to insure an air-tight joint.

When the apparatus are used for alife-raft, they are drawn out to the fulllength and the caps 13 screwed home, making air-tight cylinders notunlike in form to those now in use for the same purpose. Two or more of the apparatus may be secured together by ropes passing through the rings a and d. hen not in use, the apparatus is closed up by folding it longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 2.

The tools 71,, which are ordinarily used for work under water, are hung by chains to the outside of the tube within reach of the arms.

Having described my invention and its use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A convertible diving and life-saving ap- 5 paratus, the same comprising a flexible tulbe provided with braeing-hoops,eaps for closing each. end of the tube, one of said caps being removable, rings at the apexes of the caps, and ropes or stays passing through the rings 10o i0 and having" a threaded band eat the opposite i for securing the tube to the side of a vessel end,-\vitl1 the flexible arms D above the flOOl or to another tube of similar construction, window F, and the ladder O. substantially as set forth. Signed at New York, in the county of Nm 2. A flexible tube A, provided with rings York and State of New York, this 20th day 0:

inside and outside and permanently closed at May, A. D. 1890. one end by cap 1%, and having arms D and 1 window F, iii-combination with the cap B.

3. The combination of the tube, closed at Witnesses: one end by the cap I constituting the floor, STEPHEN M. HOYE,

Gino. W. WETFFENnAeI-r.

JOHN SPEIRS. 

